01 September 2023 , 15:17
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US prosecutors this week seek justice for the wife of a Scottish man who's accused of shooting her in the head hours after the couple enjoyed a romantic dinner together.
The wife, who uses a wheelchair, was visiting her husband in his apartment on the night of the murder, according to The Press and Journal.
According to the official indictment, Wayne is formally accused of “feloniously, wilfully and unlawfully with deliberate design to effect the death of Natalie Fraser, a human being, kill Natalie Fraser, without the authority of law and not in necessary self-defence”
Police alleged that Wayne Fraser, 47, shot his disabled wife Natalie Ryan-Fraser, 55, in the head with a handgun while she was visiting him in his Mississippi apartment in December 2020, according to WCBI News.
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News outlets said Fraser likely won't receive capital punishment, but the prospective of a life sentence remains high (Daily Record)
Natalie lived in Texas with her husband Wayne where she worked at an english lecturer at Angelo State University (Daily Record)Wayne, who normally lived with his wife in Texas, was working out-of-state as a foreman for an industrial painting and coating company in Hamilton, according to the Press and Journal.
Hours before Wayne was placed in handcuffs by police, Natalie had made a mushy social media post captioned "dinner with my love" from a steak and sushi restaurant.
The authorities had discovered Natalie's body while conducting a welfare check at the apartment the following day, which was requested by her brother Kory Ryan. Kory, who is testifying on behalf of the district attorney in the case, claims that Wayne called him the morning after Natalie was killed to tell him that his sister had committed suicide with his handgun.
Natalie's brother Kory said he received a phone call from Wayne on the night in question, during which Wayne claimed that his wife shot and killed herself (Daily Record)Kory dubiously dialed 911 and ask the dispatcher to send officers to the apartment. Wayne was arrested at the scene; furthermore, his 9mm handgun was taken in as evidence. Wayne has rebuked claims that he murdered his wife saying she mysteriously committed suicide during her visit.
The District Attorney of four counties in Mississippi, Scott Colom, has assembled a strong case against Wayne, who has spent the last 20 months in confinement at Lowndes County Adult Detention Center with a bond set at $500,000 (£395,125). Besides Kory, Scott's collective of witnesses include Cindy Lawrence, the 911 operator who was working on the night in question and a representative from the state's medical examiner's officer who presented Natalie's wheelchair during her testimony.
Wayne and Natalie wed in 2014 and started a life together in Texas where she worked as a Senior English Lecturer at Angelo State University, according to Aberdeenlive News. Reports say that Wayne likely won't receive the death penalty despite the state's statute that authorizes capital punishment. Judge James Kitchens Jr., who is presiding over the case, is expected to issue a ruling in the next few days.